Use our Women’s History Timeline Game and dive into the lives and achievements of remarkable women who shaped our world, from ancient trailblazers to modern heroines!

History is not just about events and battles; it’s also about the people who shaped our world. This year, in celebration of Women’s History Month, I decided to create a new game dedicated to women who played crucial roles throughout history.

How many famous women can you name?

Marie Curie often comes to mind first. With a bit more thought, names like Rosa Parks, Ada Lovelace, Frida Kahlo, and Anne Frank might surface. If you dig deeper into the antiquity and Middle Ages, you might come up with Cleopatra or Joan of Arc!

Now, can you arrange them in chronological order? That’s the challenge our Women’s History Timeline Game presents!

It’s a fun and engaging way to learn about eighty remarkable women from history. You’ll discover the world’s first writer, the first novelist, and the #1 bestselling novelist. You’ll learn about the first person to win two Nobel Prizes and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Plus, you’ll encounter a diverse array of historical figures: artists, historians, scientists, queens, and even pirates.

But the game does more than just introduce these women; it puts them in perspective by placing them on a timeline.

Understanding the chronological context of influential women’s lives enriches our appreciation of their contributions and reveals their impact on historical developments. It also highlights the progress and challenges in women’s rights and representation over time, providing valuable lessons for current and future generations. Finally, it encourages a more inclusive understanding of history. Traditional narratives used to focus on the accomplishments of men, but by placing these women on a timeline, we assert their rightful place in history.

I hope you will enjoy our Women’s History Timeline Game!

Which Women Are Included in the Game?

Women’s History Timeline Game features a diverse array of women, such as Hatshepsut, Sappho, Boudica, Hypatia, Wu Zetian, Murasaki Shikibu, Hildegard of Bingen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Khutulun, Joan of Arc, Catherine de’ Medici, Elizabeth I, Artemisia Gentileschi, Maria Merian, Sacagawea, Mary Anning, Ada Lovelace, Fanny Mendelssohn, Harriet Tubman, Emmeline Pankhurst, Marie Curie, Hellen Keller, Frida Kahlo, Hedy Lamarr, Rosa Parks, Rosalind Franklin, Anne Frank, Sasaki Sadako, Malala Yousafzai, and many more.

This game was an exciting project for me. Several years ago, I developed the Women in History Guess Who game, but it was limited to just twenty famous women. This meant that many inspiring individuals were left out. Being able to include eighty famous women in this new game was much more satisfying!

Even at that, the selection is far from exhaustive. To ensure the game’s playability, I had to distribute the chosen women relatively evenly across different historical periods. This required a more diligent search and less stringent selection criteria for ancient and medieval times. Conversely, for the 19th and especially 20th centuries, I had to omit many remarkable individuals due to an abundance of candidates.

Another key consideration was striking a balance between diversity and recognizability. While I aimed to include women from beyond the USA and Great Britain, I also wanted their names to be familiar to English-speaking players. I hope that you fill find the final selection satisfying.

If you feel strongly that I forgot someone important, send me a message! I can always add an update.

How to Play Women’s History Timeline Game

There are several ways to play, making the game accessible to younger and older groups, beginners and more experienced players. Players attempt to assemble an accurate timeline in all the versions of the Women’s History Timeline game, but there are some key differences!

Basic Educational Version

In the beginning, each player gets a certain number of cards, which is dependent on the overall number of players. Their cards are dealt in the open but with the years-side down. Once all the cards are dealt, one extra card is placed in the middle, which goes with the years-side up.

On their turn, players try to place one of their cards in the correct place on the timeline. The first player has only two choices: put their card to the left or the right of the starting card. In the example below, was Jane Goodall born before or after Marie Antoinette?

That doesn’t look too hard: the famous primatologist Jane Goodall was surely born after the famous guillotined queen! But the longer the game goes, the more choices there will be.

With that in mind, where should Rosa Parks go?

The right answer is, between Frida Kahlo and Jane Goodall.

After adding a card to the timeline, players turn the card to the year side and check the answer. If the card is placed in the right place, it stays in the timeline, and the next player takes a turn. If the card is not placed in the right order, that player discards the card and has to take another one.

The goal of the Women’s History Timeline Game is to be the first to get rid of all your cards.

If it seems too hard, there is an optional variant recommended for beginners! Since the date of birth does not precisely align with the time when these women made their contributions, you can agree to avoid nitpicking and consider the card placement correct as long as it is within a generally accurate time frame (+/—30 years). If a card is misplaced, it should be moved to the correct position, but the player should not be required to draw another card, so as long as they are approximately right, they can still progress and win.

Timeline Game with Luck Elements

This is another variant made to appeal to a more relaxed company or younger players. It is very similar to the educational game but adds an element of luck, thievery, and cooperation.

There are three kinds of extra cards that you will need to print for this game. Using these cards, players can exchange some of their cards, steal from one another, or ask for help.

Players get one of these cards randomly at the beginning of the game, and there are ways to draw more of them later on.

Co-op Timeline Game

Finally, there is a set of rules that turns this game into a complete co-op experience, where everyone works together on a big timeline and wins when it is complete. This might work best for playing with younger players – or in a classroom.

Women’s History Timeline Features

So, what are you getting, in a nutshell?

· 80 illustrated double-sided cards featuring famous women

· the cards include famous women from antiquity, the middle ages, and modern times, including Hatshepsut, Sappho, Boudica, Hypatia, Wu Zetian, Murasaki Shikibu, Hildegard of Bingen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Khutulun, Joan of Arc, Catherine de’ Medici, Elizabeth I, Artemisia Gentileschi, Maria Merian, Sacagawea, Mary Anning, Ada Lovelace, Fanny Mendelssohn, Harriet Tubman, Emmeline Pankhurst, Marie Curie, Hellen Keller, Frida Kahlo, Rosalind Franklin, Anne Frank, Sasaki Sadako, Malala Yousafzai, and many more

· a variety of rules (an educational game, an educational game with some luck-based elements, and a co-op game)

Enjoy the game!

Printable Women’s History Timeline Game

Dive into the lives and achievements of remarkable women who shaped our world, from ancient trailblazers to modern heroines, with our Women’s History Timeline Game!

This listing is for a downloadable PDF file. Print and cut as many copies as you want!

US$6.00

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Also Try!

Embark on an epic journey through the past, from the Big Bang to the first human civilizations, with the Ancient History Timeline Game!

Using this twist on the classic deduction game, you will learn about twenty amazing heroines who changed the world. Women Guess Who game includes Marie Curie, Frida Kahlo, Florence Nightingale, Rosa Parks, and many more!

Enjoy playing! Share your timelines with us by tagging @adventureinabox on Instagram or Facebook.